Dear Doctor

[lilirishblesing]

Saw this today, thought it was interesting

Dear Doctor,

I know it's almost doctor's day, and I know in a couple of months nurses get a whole week. But there's a serious intricacy that I think is lacking in our healthcare system. Doctors need to let the nurses who with them, that go above and beyond on a daily basis, that they notice and that they are appreciated. I find this very appropriate...

"Did you see me anticipate your need? That I knew what you wanted, even before you did? Did you notice me pay attention and pull open the chart to the exact part you were wondering about, even though you weren't talking to me? Did you see me take the patient for the test you ordered stat, even though I didn't have to, just so it would be done quicker? Did you hear me on the phone demanding an ICU bed so your patient could get the care they so desperately needed? Did you see me catch your near fatal mistake? Did you hear me question your order when you were heading in the wrong direction? Did you listen to my suggestions when you hit a roadblock of your own? Did you notice my offer to help, even though it wasn't my patient or even my unit? Did you notice my incredible technical skill as well as my compassion? Did you tell me?

- An Anonymous Nurse"

You should. You should tell them. A nurse is always a patient advocate, but if you make your nurse feel valued and appreciated they will go the extra mile for you as well. A great nurse is worth their weight in gold, and if you realize this and have on in your life, the least you can do is tell them so.

Copied and pasted from...

Dear Doctor... - FearlessBlogging.com

[Libby1987]

I'm in home health and most drs return my calls and respond to my faxes timely, listen to my ideas, trust my judgement. They're doing it for me and the patient, they get anything for their time spent. It's been years since I dealt with a broody one.

If that's not showing appreciation I don't know what is.

[Gooselady, BSN, RN]

While thanks and high-fives aren't necessary, I don't think anyone thinks those aren't nice when we get them...

Sure they are :)

There's a particular attitude throughout that blog post that feels self-centered, kind of me me me whattabout me me me?

That probably sounds insulting, and I'm not intending to be. Just remarking on the 'between the lines message'.

Nursing is the WORST POSSIBLE career to go into if it is very personally important to you to receive even a moderate amount of 'you go, girl!' (he he, and boy )

If your personal preference is lots of kudos and positive feedback . . . nursing will disappoint, and instead of a meaningful service career, you'll seethe with resentment and butt-hurtedness cuz you'll never get what you expect to.

That said, recognition is wonderful! But we don't do what we do for some kind of immediate positive feedback for OURSELVES. Nursing isn't a job you do with a mirror in one hand and a bedpan in the other.

[No Stars In My Eyes]

Nurses are not the Kardashians. (Or at least I hope not!):

Here is a selfie of me looking at the camera with my most concerned, beautifully made-up face; see my gorgeous cascading hair as I check the patient's blood pressure.....

(Sorry, I know that was not the OP's intent, but I suddenly couldn't help myself....)

[Crazynut]

A purposeful act or extension of kindness to another is never wasted, for it always resides in the hearts of all involved in a chain of love. Molly Friedenfeld

[medicalforonevoice]

How many hats do you wear? It's nice to hear appreciative remarks, especially from the Physicians (whose butt you probably just saved.)

[tobra99]

How many hats do you wear? It's nice to hear appreciative remarks, especially from the Physicians (whose butt you probably just saved.)

I hear this a lot from the nursing community. What exactly do you mean when you say that you "saved the physician's butt"?

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

I hear this a lot from the nursing community. What exactly do you mean when you say that you "saved the physician's butt"?

The nurse is one of the last lines of defense between potential errors and the patient. Meds that aren't appropriate (such as a beta blocker for someone with severe COPD), surgical consent errors (had one recently where what the patient was told was only a portion of what was on the consent), etc. Not maybe so dramatic as preventing serious injury or death, but the little things shouldn't get a pass either.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

I hear this a lot from the nursing community. What exactly do you mean when you say that you "saved the physician's butt"?

More accurately, nurses can prevent harm to a patient by alerting the physician to errors in medical management. Physicians and nurses are the only healthcare workers that see the complete picture of the patient, so we have to work together to prevent harm. sometimes, that means saying to a doctor, "you don't really want to do that, do you?"

[tobra99]

The nurse is one of the last lines of defense between potential errors and the patient. Meds that aren't appropriate (such as a beta blocker for someone with severe COPD), surgical consent errors (had one recently where what the patient was told was only a portion of what was on the consent), etc. Not maybe so dramatic as preventing serious injury or death, but the little things shouldn't get a pass either.

Yes, I agree with all your examples. They are example of good, astute nursing care.

However, I don't think nurses exclusively hold the title of the "saviors" of physicians' butts. Aside from from the nurses, the radiologists, pharmacists, respiratory techs, office staff, etc save our butts on a routine basis.

In addition, I think the physicians also frequently save the nurses' butts. As a neurosurgeon, I have countless times caught significant changes in neuro exams that were missed by the nurses. Many times have I found ventriculostomies or lumbar drains that were leveled or zeroed incorrectly, which if I don't catch myself, may lead to significant CSF overdrainage leading to intracranial hemorrhage or inaccurate ICP measurement.

However, I don't hear many physicians exclaiming that they save the nurses' butts, not nearly as much as I hear how the nurses' saved the physician from catastrophe.

It really shouldn't be about anyone's butts. The beauty of having multiple people involved in a patient's healthcare, each with their own training, skills, and scope of practice, is that it allows a system of checks and balances to minimize errors causing by any and all healthcare professionals. When I hear so much about how nurses pride themselves on saving the physician's butts, to me it somewhat implies that any given patient's care is centered around the physician and his/her decisions/actions, and that all other personell are just there to support the physician and catch their mistakes. I think if the nursing profession is trying to stand out as a separate but necessary aspect of health delivery, independant and fundamentally different from the physician, then the pride of nurses should not be on supporting and catching physician's mistakes, but instead on what they can offer independent of what the physician can offer.